FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a system for management of MDRs by an FCMDB for explaining the basic functions of the FCMDB. The FCMDB is a database integrating a plurality of management data repositories all together, while an MDR is an individual component management device in the system. The FCMDB 10 can retrieve data stored in a plurality of integrated MDRs 11 to 16 in a crossover manner. The MDRs 11 to 16 manage configuration information, incident information, trouble information, release information, change information, application information, and other information (items) relating to managed resources and the relationships among these items. The FCMDB 10 manages data reconciling items and relationships held by the individual MDR and the relationships 10A between items stored in different MDRs. The FCMDB 10 receives search requests from outside computers or an input device of FCMDB 10 and draws out search results from the plurality of MDRs 11 to 16 for response.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a system for management of MDRs by the FCMDB for explaining the reconciliation function of the FCMDB. The FCMDB 20 of FIG. 2 has the same functions as the FCMDB 10 of FIG. 1. The FCMDB 20 can retrieve data stored in the plurality of integrated MDRs 21 to 26 in a crossover manner and has a function to integrate information. The integration of information by the FCMDB 20 is made possible by the following two functions.
First function: Standardization of names of types of items managed by names such as server, host or nodes differing for the different MDRs (data format standardization function). For example, as illustrated in the first line of the reconciliation information 20A, the name is standardized to “server”.
Second function: Integration of information of same item managed by local IDs such as Webserver 1, 192.168.10.1 or hostnameX differing for the different MDRs (reconciliation function). This function is realized by laying down rules for identifying items for each type of item in advance and integrating information of matching items among the items of the same type in accordance with those rules.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a system for management of MDRs by an FCMDB for explaining a backup/restoring function in a conventional FCMDB. In a conventional FCMDB 30, each of a plurality of MDRs 31 to 33 has a backup/restoring function. The FCMDB 30 prevents non-reconciliation by synchronizing the MDRs 31 to 33, then starting the backup of data at the individual MDRs all at once. Further, the FCMDB 30 makes the MDRs 31 to 33 restore data all at once or makes only the MDRs desired for restore data individually.
A method of giving each of the dispersed databases a backup (backup storage unit) and virtually integrating them in a single database is disclosed (see PLT 1).
A method of suitably selecting part of a plurality of storage devices required for maintaining the consistency of a database stored dispersed among the storage devices, efficiently generating the backup for the part, starting the backup of the part all at once and ending it all at once, and during the time causing transactions being processed at the concerned database to be completed and prohibiting further transactions is disclosed (see PLT 2).
However, in the methods described in PLTs 1 and 2, the backup is performed while maintaining the consistency for the system as a whole, so it is necessary to secure a sufficient backup region in each MDR. For this reason, there was the problem of the enlarged storage capacity of each MDR (backup storage unit).
Further, in an FCMDB environment, the amount of data held at each MDR and the backup/restore performance, that is, the processing speed (amount of data backup/restore per unit time), differed for each MDR, so the time required for backup/restore varies. Therefore, management of conventional backup data under an FCMDB environment required matching with the MDR with the slowest processing speed. A great amount of time was required until completion of backup/restore, so there is an issue of inefficiency.    PLT 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-305455    PLT 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-215868    NPL 3: CMDB Federation (CMDBf) Committee Draft Version 1.0, 22 Oct. 2007